“Literatures and Religions” Research Group update
Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to update you on the progress of the ACLC/CCLA Research Group “Literatures and Religions: Interconnected Narratives.”
In June 2025, the research group organized two panels at the CCLA conference at Trent University in Peterborough: “Reimagining the Sacred: Reception of Religious Themes in Poetry, Life Narratives, and Films” and “Crossing Boundaries: Intersections Between Religion, Fiction, and Literary Theory.”
The group’s ongoing program continues to attract significant interest, and our membership is expanding. The group meetings occur on a monthly basis via Zoom. At each meeting, we have an informal discussion of a group participant’s current research, such as the presenter’s ideas for their upcoming conference papers or publications (or a dissertation chapter for graduate students). It’s an opportunity to test your ideas, get feedback, ask questions, and think together. We have held seven online seminars so far:
- December 2024: Shlomo Gleibman (Humanities, York University), “A Queer Genealogy of Havruta: Study Partnership as Intimate Relationship Between Men in Jewish Literature.”
- January 2025: Luigi De Angelis (Comparative Literature, Western University), “Hesed and Passion: Gabriela Mistral’s Poetic Retelling of the Book of Ruth.”
- February 2025: Lisa Viviani (Comparative Literature, Western University), “Beauty and the Bad Boy: ‘James Dean Daydream’ Lovers in American and Italian Adolescent Fiction.”
- March 2025: Maria Ruggero (Comparative Literature, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy), “Melusina: The Myth of Femininity and Religion.”
- April 2025: Olga Stein (English, York University), “Religious Conversion and Creative [Self-] Reinterpretation in Lyudmila Ulitskaya’s Daniel Stein, Translator.”
- May 2025: Khedidja Chergui (Department of English, L’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Bouzaréah, Algiers), “On Love Jihad in Contemporary Indian Literature.”
- July 2025: Ivan Pavlii (Dallas International University), “Interfaith-Based Study of Contemporary Arab Literature.”
We are taking a summer break in August. Our monthly online seminars will resume on September 6 at 2 pm with a presentation by Laurence Sylvain, President of ACLC/CCLA, on her current research on Simone Weil’s writings.
We invite new members to join our research group. If you are interested in participating in this group, please contact Luigi De Angelis Soriano at ldeange3@uwo.ca and Shlomo Gleibman at shlomog@gmail.com
Wishing you a wonderful rest of the summer,
Shlomo Gleibman and Luigi De Angelis Soriano
Literatures and Religions: Interconnected Narratives
